Christian Poetry and Poems About Life, Love, and Mental Illness

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A Christian Poem About the Dangers of Being Selfish and Prideful

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18 (KJV)

“Me, My, Mine”

Ignorance is expressed as “me, my, mine”,
ignoring in every facet of life the presence of the Divine.
Covering your eyes doesn’t make the sun not shine.
but pride is sure to make you stumble and walk around blind –

blind to the truth that we were made
in God’s image and goodness finds the keeper of His ways;
blind to the harsh reality that we are weak and must be saved
by the One death could not hold, who walked out of the grave.

In these times, it’s easy to get lost
in delusional thinking and high, proud thoughts,
in believing that joy can be found in the things we’ve got,
and in turning blessings into things we’ve “earned” and bought.

When I elevate myself higher than you,
I eliminate the need for compassion and to walk in your shoes.
When I look at the world through my selfish view,
everything is made for me, and there’s nothing forbidden for me to do.

A self-centered nature will never leave you complete.
Attitude is determined by the thoughts you eat.
A fat ego bumps into everyone you meet.
“Me, my, mine” are words of arrogance and deceit.

-Poem Written by Justin Farley

Beyond the Poetry

Pride and an inflated ego is the quickest way to destroy a relationship with God and anyone you come into contact with. Pride is the worst possible sin there is. Why? Because all other sins give you the chance for redemption. You know you’ve done something wrong and must ask for forgiveness. A prideful person, however, doesn’t see the need. Being prideful places you above anyone else and puts you in the place of God.

Selfishness is a byproduct of pride. When you believe you are more important than others, you deserve more than everyone else and should always be the first in line and get the best things. When you have a selfish mind, it’s impossible to appreciate the blessings that God has given you and be thankful. Nothing is ever going to be enough to keep you satisfied and someone is always going to have something you want.

I am guilty of pride and likely you are too. We all feel the need for more. The only real solution is turning to the cross to see that God sees us all the same as sinners in need of His mercy. Jesus didn’t come to help us out, but to save us and pay the debt that we owed. Because of Jesus, we can look at every single person and see the image of God, knowing that we are no better than them.

Humility is the beginning of wisdom because a prideful person is unable to learn from another. If you are not humble, it is unlikely you are going to listen to God’s Word either. You will make excuses and create your own rules. Using “me, my, or mine” is usually a good indicator that you are being self-centered. Following Jesus requires us to start using “he, she, and them” much more often than pronouns about ourselves.

“I’ll take a million dollars,” one man said.
“A million…that’s all?” said another.
“I’ll take a billion –
I’m absolutely starving.”

“I’ll take an innocent, young girl –
One that’s just turned 18.
I’ll put some experience in her, huh?”
He said, nudging the man sitting next to him.

“Forget that,” said the man next to him.
“She won’t even know what she’s doing.
Give me the one that’s open to anything
And has no shame.”

And the demands continued around the table.
“Serve me up some success.
I want to be the head of the organization
And take orders from no one.”

“Give me that red sports car
I’ve always wanted.
I just know I’ll finally be happy
Once I get it.”

“Serve me up a man
Who makes me feel special everyday,
Comes loaded with cash,
And willing to do whatever I say.”

“Build me a mansion so big
That I can parade around like a king.
Fill it with expensive toys
And butlers to fetch my every need.”

And as the men and women shouted their orders
From the lines of chairs at the table,
Desires became real
And appeared before them on their plates.

Each person sank their teeth
Into their meals
And sucked their cravings
Down to the bone – no crumbs remained.

“The Feast of Fools is complete.
Thank you all for coming.
Dinner will be served in the hall
Tomorrow, same as always.”

The people left the hall with bulging bellies,
But still weren’t full or satisfied.
Each silently reminded themselves
To ask for a larger meal tomorrow.

– Poem Written by Justin Farley

Behind the Poetry

It is easy to look at the danger of worldly desires and selfishness in the lives of people at the top. But the inspiration for this poem did not come from judging rich, selfish celebrities, but from judging my own self-centered, worldly desires. What is it in your life that you would ask for at the feast? There is nothing that you can devour that will bring you happiness or fill you up externally; it is only going to continue to leave you starving and hungry. Anytime we believe we can digest a worldly meal and think that it can fix us, we’re eating a feast for fools. Hopefully you enjoyed this poem.